Witness

Three social protests captured in Detroit in 2016

Detroit, MI, USA.

"It does not do to rely too much on silent majorities Evey, for silence is a fragile thing, one loud noise, and it's gone. But the people are so cowed and disorganised. A few might take the opportunity to protest, but it'll just be a voice crying in the wilderness. Noise is relative to the silence preceding it. The more absolute the hush, the more shocking the thunderclap. Our masters have not heard the people's voice for generations Evey, and it is much, much louder than they care to remember.” ― Alan Moore, V for Vendetta

It does not do to rely too much on silent majorities Evey, for silence is a fragile thing, one loud noise, and it’s gone. But the people are so cowed and disorganized.

A few might take the opportunity to protest, but it’ll just be a voice crying in the wilderness. Noise is relative to the silence preceding it. The more absolute the hush, the more shocking the thunderclap.

Our masters have not heard the people’s voice for generations Evey, and it is much, much louder than they care to remember.― Alan Moore, V for Vendetta

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” - Desmond Tutu

“The duty of youth is to challenge corruption." - Kurt Cobain

"Never once did I believe there was equality; I can't breath my hands up, so why you follow me?

Pardon my activist drawl, being a pacifist doesn't help when they blasting us all

Our blocks are permanently hot, what if I told you I rock a hoodie because I won't change but scared of getting killed by the cops

What if I shot, one in the air for every time they murdered one of us?

It would be raining cats, dogs and hollow tips, they're killing our sons and our president won't acknowledge it

It's open season on all of us, poor, middle class and college kids

They'll call us traitors and bring that fire to our areathe land of the free if only you meet the certain criteria

Ignited we stand with fire we fall, hold the hands of every single rebel

Running from the greedy racist American devil existing on every level

Especially politicians the joke of a justice system

Military or police man I swear you can't tell the difference

Now they're pulling up in tanks and them rifles ain't standard issue

It's YOU who handles your issues by cocking pistols

Then points out black on black crime like we love to do the shit too

Go figure, who you think extracts the medal from the earth and mass produces weapons for us to kill with? No Nigga"

- Noveliss

"The truth is that the police reflect America in all of it's will and fear, and whatever we might make of the country's criminal justice policy, it cannot be said that it was imposed by a repressive minority.

The abuses that have followed from these policies -the sprawling carceral state, the random detention of black people, the torture of suspects- are the product of democratic will. And so to challenge the police is to challenge the American people, who send them into the ghettos armed with the same self-generated fears that compelled the people who think they are white, to flee the cities and into the Dream.

The problem with police is not that they are fascist pigs, but that our country is ruled by majoritarian pigs."

- Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me

"I ask people of the world and children of light, to start reflecting the stories of their souls to vibrate wisdom around the earth.

Pick up a paintbrush or microphone. Press the inks of your pens to paper or tap words onto your screens, and start sharing what you know and have learned with the masses.

Turn your personal painting into a piece of the earth's puzzle so that our unified assemblage of thoughts, experiences and lessons reveal common truths that cannot be denied.

Imagine the changes that could happen if everyone suddenly stopped acting like someone else, became true to themselves, and celebrated the beauty of their uniqueness.

Only after people have willingly removed their masks and costumes, and have begun pouring light from their hearts to reveal their vulnerability, dreams and pains, will we be able to see that beneath the surface we are all the same.

After all, how can the world collectively fight for truth, if soldiers in it's army are void of truth? We must first all be true by putting truth in our words and actions. And to do so, everyone must learn to think and react with their conscience.

Imagine what truth could do to neutralize the clutches of evil once this black and white world suddenly became embraced by a strong rainbow of loud powerful voices.

We could put color back into every home, every school, every industry, every nation, and every garden on earth, where flowers have been crushed by corruption."

-Suzy Kassem, "Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem"

"The greatest mistake of the movement has been trying to organize a sleeping people around specific goals. You have to wake the people up first, then you'll get action.

Concerning nonviolence: it is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of brutal attack ."

- Malcolm X

A Litany for Survival

"For those of us who live at the shorelinestanding upon the constant edges of decisioncrucial and alone

For those of us who cannot indulgethe passing dreams of choicewho love in doorways coming and goingin the hours between dawnslooking inward and outwardat once before and afterseeking a now that can breedfutureslike bread in our children's mouthsso their dreams will not reflectthe death of ours

For those of uswho were imprinted with fearlike a faint line in the center of our foreheadslearning to be afraid with our mother's milkfor by this weaponthis illusion of some safety to be foundthe heavy-footed hoped to silence us

For all of usthis instant and this triumph

We were never meant to survive.

And when the sun rises we are afraidit might not remain

When the sun sets we are afraidit might not rise in the morning

When our stomachs are full we are afraidof indigestion

When our stomachs are empty we are afraidwe may never eat again

When we are loved we are afraidlove will vanish

When we are alone we are afraidlove will never return

When when we speak we are afraidour words will not be heardnor welcomed

But when we are silentwe are still afraid

So it is better to speakremembering

We were never meant to survive."

-Audre Lorde, "The Black Unicorn: Poems"

"Most people write me off when they see me.

They do not know my story.

They say I am just an African.

They judge me before they get to know me.

What they do not know is,the pride I have in the blood that runs through my veins;

The pride I have in my rich culture and the history of my people;

The pride I have in my strong family ties and the deep connection to my community;

The pride I have in the African music, African art, and African dance;

The pride I have in my name and the meaning behind it.

Just as my name has meaning, I too will live my life with meaning.

So, you think I am nothing?

Don’t worry about what I am now,for what I will be, I am gradually becoming.

I will raise my head high wherever I gobecause of my African pride,and nobody will take that away from me.”

-Idowu Koyenikan, "Wealth for All"

"The downfall of the attempts of governments and leaders to unite mankind is found in this- in the wrong message that we should see everyone as the same. This is the root of the failure of harmony. Because the truth is, we should not all see everyone as the same! We are not the same! We are made of different colours and we have different cultures. We are all different!

But the key to this door is to look at these differences, respect these differences, learn from and about these differences, and grow in and with these differences. We are all different. We are not the same. But that's beautiful. And that's okay.

In the quest for unity and peace, we cannot blind ourselves and expect to be all the same. Because in this, we all have an underlying belief that everyone should be the same as us at some point.

We are not on a journey to become the same or to be the same. But we are on a journey to see that in all of our differences, that is what makes us beautiful as a human race, and if we are ever to grow, we ought to learn and always learn some more."

-C. JoyBell C.

"Differences of race, nationality or religion should not be used to deny any human being citizenship rights or privileges. Life is to be lived to its fullest so that death is just another chapter. Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others."

-Rosa Parks

"You may have heard the talk of diversity, sensitivity training, and body cameras. These are all fine and applicable, but they understate the task and allow the citizens of this country to pretend that there is real distance between their own attitudes and those of the ones appointed to protect them. The truth is that the police reflect America in all of it's will and fear, and whatever we might make of this country's criminal justice policy, it cannot be said that it was imposed by a repressive minority.”

-Ta-Nehisi Coates, "Between the World and Me"

"The interaction of disparate cultures, the vehemence of the ideals that led the immigrants here, the opportunity offered by a new life, all gave America a flavor and a character that make it as unmistakable and as remarkable to people today as it was to Alexis de Tocqueville in the early part of the nineteenth century."

-John F. Kennedy, "A Nation of Immigrants"

"Because we’ve been lied to and lied to, and it hurts to be lied to. It’s ultimately just about that complicated: it hurts. It denies you respect for yourself, for the liar, for the world. Especially if the lies are chronic, systemic, if hard experience seems to teach that everything you’re supposed to believe in’s really a game based on lies.

Young voters have been taught well and thoroughly. You may not personally remember Vietnam or Watergate, but it’s a good bet you remember ‘No new taxes,’ and ‘Out of the loop,’ and ‘No direct knowledge of any impropriety at this time,’ and 'Did not inhale,’ and ‘Did not have sex with that woman’ and etc. etc.

It’s depressing and painful to believe that the would-be ‘public servants’ you’re forced to choose between are all phonies whose only real concern is their own care and feeding and who will lie so outrageously, with such a straight face, that you just know they have to believe you’re an idiot.

So who wouldn’t fall all over themselves for a top politician who actually seemed to talk to you like you were a person, an intelligent adult worthy of respect?"